This is true? - Geographic oddities that defy conventional wisdom

[TheHighwayMan3561]

It's going to be tough to beat Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada. Wiki says 2.3 million for Clark and 4500 for Lincoln.

In Hawaii, Maui County's 2020 Census population was 164,754. Kalawao County, only 82. Those two counties share a land border, but neither has a land border with any other county.

MN's is pretty unspectacular. St. Louis County (200K) bordering Lake County (11K).

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Heh.  I have seen so many versions of this that are wrong that it is hard to trust one when it's right.

I measured those distances in Google Maps, and this map is in fact right.

Also, look at the size of Greenland compared to Africa. In reality, Greenland almost fits within Congo Kinshasa.

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqC3FNNOaI

[hotdogPi]

The White House, the Empire State Building, and Boston City Hall are in perfect alignment.

[kphoger]

The White House, the Empire State Building, and Boston City Hall are in perfect alignment.

on what issues?

[US 89]

The White House, the Empire State Building, and Boston City Hall are in perfect alignment.

I don't know that it defies conventional wisdom, but this is fuckin cool. The Massachusetts State House in Boston is an even better known landmark over there and produces an even better match at the Empire State Building if the Google Maps straight-line distance tool is any indication.

Cue conspiracy theory surrounding all this in 3..2..1...

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Heh.  I have seen so many versions of this that are wrong that it is hard to trust one when it's right.

I measured those distances in Google Maps, and this map is in fact right.

Also, look at the size of Greenland compared to Africa. In reality, Greenland almost fits within Congo Kinshasa.

This is the main failing of the Mercator projection in making northern landmasses appear far larger than they are (Greenland is smaller than Australia, but you wouldn't know it from this map). This is why I typically trust other projections better, although all projections have their own drawbacks that come with trying to print a map of an imperfectly-shaped sphere.

[SD Mapman]

It's going to be tough to beat Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada. Wiki says 2.3 million for Clark and 4500 for Lincoln.

In Hawaii, Maui County's 2020 Census population was 164,754. Kalawao County, only 82. Those two counties share a land border, but neither has a land border with any other county.

MN's is pretty unspectacular. St. Louis County (200K) bordering Lake County (11K).

Yeah, SD's isn't that spectacular either, with Pennington (109,222) bordering Haakon (1,872)

[empirestate]

This is the main failing of the Mercator projection in making northern landmasses appear far larger than they are (Greenland is smaller than Australia, but you wouldn't know it from this map). This is why I typically trust other projections better, although all projections have their own drawbacks that come with trying to print a map of an imperfectly-shaped sphere.

I think you've nicely encapsulated what it means to "trust" something. You know the shortcomings of the Mercator projection, so really, you don't need to trust it any more or less than another projection–you can simply trust yourself to appropriately digest the information it gives.

The same principle applies when reading, say, Wikipedia or Yelp reviews. :-)

[kphoger]

I just realized this one:

The southern border of Baja California is farther north than Corpus Christi (TX), and is at the same latitude as Tampa (FL).

[jlam]

Part of California is further south than the northernmost point of Mexico and part of it is further north than the southernmost point of Canada.

[ethanhopkin14]

Part of California is further south than the northernmost point of Mexico and part of it is further north than the southernmost point of Canada.

I recently read about the latter.  The northern parts of Utah and Nevada are also further north than the most southern point in Canada. 

[elsmere241]

I don't know if this has been mentioned (I haven't read the whole thread) but some of us may remember the 1992 discovery of a 5,300-year-old corpse in the Alps.  A survey was conducted to determine which country he had been found in, Italy or Austria.  The surveyors found that based on the survey markings, the site was in Italy, but that had the boundary been marked more correctly, it would have been in Austria.

[elsmere241]

I don't think it's legit to include cities that don't use the Latin alphabet in their native language.

As long as we're following their modern official transliteration, it should be fine.

Quite a few countries have gone back to correct colonialist Anglicizations like China (Peking -> Beijing) and Korea (Pusan -> Busan), so the modern names there should reflect the government's wishes.

Beijing is still "Pechino" (with a hard "ch") in Italian.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

And still "Pekín" in Spanish.

I don't know if this has been mentioned (I haven't read the whole thread) but some of us may remember the 1992 discovery of a 5,300-year-old corpse in the Alps.  A survey was conducted to determine which country he had been found in, Italy or Austria.  The surveyors found that based on the survey markings, the site was in Italy, but that had the boundary been marked more correctly, it would have been in Austria.

Ötzi. It was in 1991, BTW.

[ethanhopkin14]

Despite the northeastern United States being known for having smaller states and having given locations being in close proximity to more than one state, Cimarron County, Oklahoma is the only county in the US that borders counties from five states and has the only location in the US less than 27 miles from five different states.

[CtrlAltDel]

I don't think it's legit to include cities that don't use the Latin alphabet in their native language.

As long as we're following their modern official transliteration, it should be fine.

Quite a few countries have gone back to correct colonialist Anglicizations like China (Peking -> Beijing) and Korea (Pusan -> Busan), so the modern names there should reflect the government's wishes.

Beijing is still "Pechino" (with a hard "ch") in Italian.

And Pékin in French.

[CtrlAltDel]

This is the main failing of the Mercator projection in making northern landmasses appear far larger than they are (Greenland is smaller than Australia, but you wouldn't know it from this map). This is why I typically trust other projections better, although all projections have their own drawbacks that come with trying to print a map of an imperfectly-shaped sphere.

I think you've nicely encapsulated what it means to "trust" something. You know the shortcomings of the Mercator projection, so really, you don't need to trust it any more or less than another projection–you can simply trust yourself to appropriately digest the information it gives.

The same principle applies when reading, say, Wikipedia or Yelp reviews. :-)

There's a limit to that though, like how the placebo effect still works even when you know you're taking a placebo.

[webny99]

Despite the northeastern United States being known for having smaller states and having given locations being in close proximity to more than one state, Cimarron County, Oklahoma is the only county in the US that borders counties from five states and has the only location in the US less than 27 miles from five different states.

Interesting! That's one of the better fun facts found in this thread. Thought I could find another example somewhere, but to no avail (although a few spots come close).

[kurumi]

Speaking of Cimarron County: the closest interstate highway to Felt, OK -- about 95 miles away -- is I-25.

And (though this seems familiar, probably noted before), Felt is closer to Denver and Santa Fe than to its own capital city.

[dlsterner]

Cimarron County, Oklahoma is the only county in the US that borders counties from five states and has the only location in the US less than 27 miles from five different states.

And because of this, Cimarron County is the only county in the US that contains three state tri-points.

[US 89]

I spent a good several hours in Cimarron County last spring. Went to two of those tripoints and hiked Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma (which, perhaps unsurprisingly, is almost on the New Mexico border). It's a fascinating world out there - extremely remote and with terrain you wouldn't normally associate with Oklahoma. Boise City has something like two gas stations, the well known county courthouse roundabout, and not much else.

[wriddle082]

Jefferson County, WV is closer to the capitals of the two other states that it borders (Richmond, VA and Annapolis, MD), plus the capitals of two other states that it doesn’t border (Harrisburg, PA and Dover, DE), than it’s own capital (Charleston).

[Ted$8roadFan]

There are places in southwest Virginia that are closer to several other state capitals than to Richmond.

https://www.howderfamily.com/blog/remote-southwestern-virginia/

[kphoger]

And (though this seems familiar, probably noted before), Felt is closer to Denver and Santa Fe than to its own capital city.

That doesn't seem to "defy conventional wisdom" to me at all, considering I grew up in a Kansas town that's more than 100 miles closer to Denver than Topeka.

Along those lines, though...
Jackson, WY:  closer to Boise, Salt Lake City, or Helena than it is to Cheyenne.